After passing the Senate and House, the Michael Morton Act and a related bill are headed to the governor's desk pending a final vote.

Authored by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, SB 1611 would create a uniform open-file policy that requires prosecutors to hand over all exculpatory evidence such at witness testimony or offense reports.

The House could suspend their normal rules to hear a bill three times and pass SB 1611 while Morton is in the gallery. (Update: They did not.)

Morton served 25 years for the murder of his wife in 1986 and was later exonerated when DNA evidence could not link him to the crime. Among evidence withheld was a record of Morton's son saying his father wasn't the "monster" who murdered his mother. Prosecutors never made the interview available and Morton's exoneration sparked investigation of the Williamson County prosecutor involved in the case.

"Passage of SB 1611 will increase transparency and accountability in criminal cases at a stage when we can still prevent wrongful convictions like Mr. Morton's," Ellis said. "I want to thank Mr. Morton for holding our feet to the fire and making this happen."

Another bill by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, that would increase prosecutor accountability passed by a voice vote.

It would give exonerees four years after their release to file a complaint of prosecutorial misconduct. Current statute of limitations requires that a complaint be made within four years of when misconduct occurs, which can make it hard for convicted inmates to access the resources to make their claim.